End access automobile

ABSTRACT

The invention is a wheeled vehicle that has an aerodynamic shell where the vehicle is built to eliminate side door openings to allow uninterrupted protective side structure. Access involves opening the shell to allow entry to the vehicle from an end. Closure restores the aerodynamic properties of the shape. Seats are movable such that a walkway is made clear for motorists to walk to a position ahead of their respective seats. A car roof top can be opened to enable motorists to walk, nearly erect, into the vehicle.

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This present invention relates to motor vehicles.

2. Description of the Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 7,338,061 Bullis 2008 provided a wheel system that makes a narrow car stable, thus enabling major improvements in aerodynamic efficiency. Using this wheel system with a tandem seating arrangement, a car concept resulted that was about half as wide as a conventional car. Therefore, frontal area would be much reduced, thus reducing one factor that determines air drag force. Very efficient shapes were then disclosed in patent application Ser. No. ______ 2007, Bullis which resulted in a large reduction in the drag coefficient, which is a second factor that determines air drag force. The resulting car would eliminate much of the fuel efficiency problem that comes from driving cars at highway speeds. The narrow car with tandem seating was discussed with inclusion of protective structure built into the sides of the vehicle. Entry from the top of the vehicle was shown. However, it seemed that side entry would be needed to make the car popular. This new car concept was so big a change from traditional automotive practice, it seemed like a good opportunity to avoid the traditional, but unsafe, side door systems.

At the same time, it was seen to be very important to take advantage of car safety developments where front and rear crumple zones, where structure prevented crash effects from reaching occupants, yet allowed for significant energy absorption. Amazingly, unless cars are quite wide, the pre-disposition of the auto industry to side-by-side seating leaves little side space for such protective crumple zones. Side doors cause further vulnerability to side impacts. It is not clear that air-bags are of much use in making up for these defects in design.

The Isetta is a known automobile where the front opens to allow two persons to step up and sit on a fixed seat. In this car the driver and passenger sit side-by-side just behind the combination front door and windshield.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiment is a wheeled vehicle for tandem seating of motorists that has an elevated aerodynamic shell that is held above the wheels at a height that allows significant air flow under the vehicle. Protective side structure is uninterrupted for purposes of allowing entry through side openings. A rear access ramp system provides walk in entry to the vehicle shell from the rear. This ramp lowers from the bottom of the rear part of this shell. Seats are movable such that a walkway is made clear for motorists to walk to a position ahead of their respective seats, from which position they would then be able to move their seats to the necessary position for riding in the car. A roof top can be opened to enable motorists to walk, nearly erect, into the vehicle.

There are various end access arrangements that are based on this concept.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1—Rear entry vehicle with hatches open.

FIG. 2—Side view showing hatch actions.

FIG. 3—Vehicle arranged for high speed travel.

FIG. 4—Seating arranged to allow access from rear.

FIG. 5—Front access variation.

FIG. 6—Vehicle with aerodynamic shell removed to show seats moved for access.

FIG. 7—Placeholders showing motorist positions on seats arranged for riding.

FIG. 8—Aerodynamic shell with opening parts.

FIG. 9—Rear side access.

FIG. 10—Top hinging variation.

FIG. 11—Integrated wheel variation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND VARIATIONS

The embodiment design is part of a project to adapt airship research to the automotive field. Airship research carried out prior to WWII provides a high performance aerodynamic body shape that is here used as a carriage to enclose persons riding in the automobile. Wind tunnel tests were carried out in those years producing air drag force measurement data that can be used to design this high efficiency automobile. This data is especially complete for the USS Akron shape, even including drag force data for the model at a variety of pitch angles. For vehicle speeds of interest the drag force can be quite accurately determined, especially for data from one of the models (1933 Freeman) that is approximately the same as the intended automobile.

This airship is a highly refined version of the general shape known as a body of revolution having its axis aligned with the car's travel direction. To make such a form large enough to give adequate head room for a large person, a width is needed that is somewhat more than half the width of an ordinary car. Rather than work to make this car thinner, it was decided to take advantage of the side space to make a product that would be as safe as possible. Building in a strong protective side structure was thus seen as an important design objective. However, this protection would be significantly degraded by cutting it to make side door openings.

There are obvious limits to car length, but there is more flexibility here than there is in car width if aerodynamic drag is a primary concern. Thus, the fore and aft crumple zones can be made significantly large, and there is still some opportunity to provide for access through such zones, while retaining substantial crumple zone protection.

FIG. 1 shows the preferred embodiment having an aerodynamic shell 1 a lowered rear access ramp 2 and a tipped up roof top 3. Protective rear structure 4 within the shell 1 is connected to side structure 8 which is connected to the wheel system 5. Placeholders 6, 7 show provisions for seating of two motorists. Access pathway 14 indicating arrow shows the rear entry path up the ramp. As motorists walk upwards to higher positions, the top opening gives increasing head clearance height. The intended forward travel direction is indicated by the arrow 10.

FIG. 2 shows a side view where the lower rear opening 9 of the shell can be seen and the ramp closing action 13 and the top closing action 12 are indicated.

FIG. 3 shows the shell as a closed body that gives the efficient aerodynamic shape. Ramp 2 and top 3 are shown in traveling position. Rear window 11, windshield 21, and side windows 17, 18 are indicated.

FIG. 4 shows the seat backs 23, 26 swung on hinges to the side and seat bottoms 24, 25 folded up such that there is a clear access path from the rear to seating positions of the respective motorists.

FIG. 5 shows the same conditions for boarding as FIG. 4 except a front access variation is illustrated. Here the front hood 27 is hinged at hinge point 30 at the side. After motorists step up on step point 53 and enter as the arrow 29 indicates, the front hood 27 swings 28 to close the shell 51 that now has a front cut-out 54 instead of a rear cut-out. Frontal crush zone structure 52 is arranged to enable passage.

Returning to the preferred embodiment, FIG. 6 shows the vehicle with the aerodynamic shell removed so that the parts previously pointed out can be seen. This is especially useful to see how the seat parts 23, 24, 25, 26 are moved to allow a clear pathway.

FIG. 7 illustrates the seated position where motorists are represented by placeholders 6, 7 sitting on seat parts 23, 24, 25, 26 moved appropriately into place for traveling.

FIG. 8 shows the basic shell 1 with opening parts 2,3 and rear entry pathway 14 as before. FIG. 8 is a reference for FIG. 9 where a variation on the rear ramp is shown in a modified shell 32. Here a rear side opening 33 is made accessible by opening of rear side hatch cover 31. This is of course, a side door, but it is set well to the rear of the point where it would be a structural weakness that would be a side impact danger. The entry pathway is indicated by the arrow 34. The top 3 here opens as before for headroom. It also provides an emergency exit, here as well in previous configurations. FIG. 10 shows a more useful way to give head clearance for the rear side entry. In this case, the top 35 hinges at a side point 36. This variation is applicable to previously discussed configurations as well.

FIG. 11 shows a variation based on the previous variations, except here it involves an aerodynamic vehicle with integrated wheels. Hatches open as before, but now there are wheels 40, 38, 37 with the aerodynamic body now 39 has cut-outs 41, 42 and another not shown for the left front side wheel. Fairings minimize the gaps that would otherwise cause much unwanted aerodynamic drag. 

1. A vehicle for operation on a roadway that includes a carriage wherein motorists ride, and when it is traveling, said carriage has an outer surface that determines the aerodynamic drag of said vehicle, where said carriage includes protective side structure within said outer surface that is not interrupted to provide for side door openings, where said carriage is constructed to allow entry via a ramp that is lowered from the lower rear part of the carriage through a cut-out opening from said carriage outer surface, where said ramp enables persons to walk into said carriage, where provision is made for an entry path for entry from the rear to a position convenient for sitting.
 2. A vehicle according to claim 1 where said cut-out opening can be closed and filled with a surface that is a cut-out piece of said outer surface shaped like said cut-out opening after motorists have entered to enable a smooth aerodynamic carriage surface.
 3. A vehicle according to claim 1 that is provided with a top that opens to give an upper cut-out opening that is a cut-out from said outer surface, with capability to close said upper cut-out opening that involves placing a cut-out piece of said outer surface shaped like said upper cut-out opening in position to enable a smooth aerodynamic carriage surface, where said upper cut-out opening enables said motorists to walk nearly erectly into said vehicle.
 4. A vehicle according to claim 1 where said entry path is enabled by movement of seats to clear an intended passageway.
 5. A vehicle according to claim 1 that is arranged for tandem seating of a plurality of motorists.
 6. A vehicle according to claim 1 where said carriage is elevated above said road to improve aerodynamic performance.
 7. A vehicle according to claim 1 where there is a distinct separation between said carriage and wheels.
 8. A vehicle according to claim 1 where there is a distinct separation between said carriage and wheels, and said wheels are arranged in parallel, horizontal, columns and when said ramp is lowered, it is at a position that is partly between said columns. 